The Billionaire Werewolf (Werewolves of St. Neuri Book 3) Page 8

  “Won’t hold them back for long.” He told her.

  “This is insane.” She mumbled, mostly to herself.

  Jake pulled her across the room, which seemed to be mostly storage and opened the closet. The door behind them rattled as the wolves threw themselves against it.

  “Not a lot of room in the hallway. Should give us a little time.”

  “For what?” Janelle asked as he pushed things away from the back of the closet.

  The answer came a second later as a small door came into view. Jake yanked it open, exposing a strange pathway.

  “What the hell is that?” She asked him, wondering why there was such a thing on the third floor of a mansion.

  “Escape hatch. Construction isn’t finished on the rest. This is the only one. It’s in the walls, moves downward, takes you into the woods.” The door frame rattled again. Janelle realized the bookshelf was made from strong oak which is why Tate couldn’t break through it so easily.

  “Why did you build an escape hatch?” She asked and when a wolf howled, Jake merely raised his eyebrow.

  He reached for her then, his hands resting on her shoulders, looking at her so intently that Janelle felt as though he could read her mind. “Go into the hatch, follow it out, go get help.”

  “What are you talking about?” Janelle asked. “I’m not leaving without you. I came here to make sure you were okay! If we go, we go together. You aren’t staying here to try and fight them off! Besides,” She added, “I left Liam a voicemail before I came here. By the time I get out of the house, through the woods, back to St. Neuri, call the police and they arrive here, you could be dead. You can’t hold them off that long.”

  Jake was wavering, she could feel it. There was a sound of a crack, both their heads turned. The bookshelf was going to break apart soon. The wolves were howling in irritation, clearly not having thought a small hallway and an oak bookshelf could stop momentum so quickly.

  “Jake, please.” She begged. “You can’t stay here. You’ll die. Please.”

  He cupped her cheek, stroking her skin gently with his thumb. The frame rattled so hard that she thought for sure they had broken through. Yet all her thoughts were suddenly wiped clean when Jake leaned down and kissed her.

  His lips were hot to the touch, sending electric shocks through her. Her eyes widened in surprise, too stunned to return it. When the kiss ended a couple seconds later, Jake looked at her steadily.

  “Had to do that. Just once.” Was all he said before grabbing her hand and tugging her into the closet.

  She wanted to ask him why, to try to understand what just happened, but there was no time. A ladder went down into the escape hatch and Jake prompted her to go first. No time to argue, to worry he would put her in the hatch and close the door.

  But if that thought crossed his mind, he didn’t do it. As Janelle moved down the ladder, Jake shut the closet door and came in after her, shutting the escape hatch. Darkness filled the narrow space. Above them, the door cracked open, the bookshelf splintering, and the wolves spilled inside. Janelle could hear them as she scurried down the ladder.

  Neither spoke. Instead, she focused on the ladder, going down three floors. She made a mental note to ask Jake why in the world he started with a hatch so out of the way. By the time Janelle got to the bottom, her heart had leveled out just enough to stop shaking.

  Hitting the ground, she reached out for Jake, to make sure he was there. Her fingers brushed against his skin.

  “Duck down,” He whispered, “Directly behind you is the way out.”

  She turned around, hands outstretched, feeling the top of the passageway. Then Janelle ducked and began to walk down it, the ground sloping gently underneath her feet. Jake was right behind her. She could hear his breathing.

  There were no other sounds. Janelle wasn’t sure where they were in regards to the house or where Tate and his men went. They crept underneath the house, down the passageway, in complete silence for what felt like ages. All she could hear was their breathing.

  Finally, the passageway began to slope upwards. Jake grabbed her hand, whispering, “It will put us past the guard house, at the edge of the property. We still won’t have much time. They’ll track us with our scent. Once we get out, we need to get to a crowded area in St. Neuri. We can go to Liam’s from there.”

  Her stomach twisted in fear. “They’ll smell us instantly, won’t they?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Jake…” She whispered, her skin crawling from being underground in the dark tunnel, “This whole thing…if the pack had just sat down and talked. If everyone had been honest.”

  “No. This is beyond that,” Jake said seriously, “I don’t think talking would have made much of a difference. Not with someone like Tate. Come on, Janelle. The exit is coming up.”

  He was right. A minute later, the tunnel ended and a door was above her head. She exhaled slowly and pushed it open, crawling out into the woods. Jake followed, shutting the door and covering it carefully.

  Her eyes adjusted to the moonlight shining through the trees. The snow had gotten worse, falling steadily now, covering everything around them. She had no clue where they were. Jake grabbed her hand, helping her up.

  Together, they walked in silence, the snow crunching under their feet. Jake seemed confident in where they were going. Janelle wasn’t so sure. She was also worried Liam would go to the property and be attacked. Who knew what would happen?

  “Jake,” She said.

  But before Janelle could finish, she was knocked forward, tumbling into the snow, the air knocked out of her. Gasping, she rolled onto her back, scrambling to her feet.

  Only to see Tate in front of them, back in human form, eyes blazing in the dark.

  Chapter Nine

  “Rich asshole like you – I figured you’d have some secret way out of the house.” Tate said, circling around them.

  Despair swept over her. They had been so close and it still failed. Clearly, both underestimated Tate. But he seemed to be alone, pacing, wearing just a set of pants that clearly belonged to Jake because they didn’t fit properly. Shirtless, she could see the scars and tattoos that lined his body. This was a man who had seen many fights and wasn’t going to hold back.

  “Tate, you need to stop this.” Jake said although his hands were clenched.

  “Stop what? I got the gang all worked up over you. They wanted you out of St. Neuri. But I want you dead, so they do too.”

  “Why?” Janelle asked, “I don’t understand.”

  “Because it isn’t your place to understand, girl,” Tate snapped, “This is between him and the pack.”

  “No, it isn’t. Because Liam very clearly told you to stop it and you haven’t.” She said.

  “Your bitch sure likes to stick her nose in places where it doesn’t belong.” Tate remarked.

  “Because there is more to this!” She turned to Jake, “You have to know that this isn’t just about what you’re doing! There is more to this! There has to be! He’s going to kill you – over what? Buying up property? It makes no sense.”

  Jake stopped for a moment before moving to block her from view of Tate. “Is she right?”

  Tate grinned, his teeth glinted in the moonlight and the fear returned. Janelle wanted to reach out for Jake and pull him away. But she knew it was hopeless.

  “She’s right. Guess she is more observant than you. You moved here, big city billionaire, built this ugly house on the outskirts of St. Neuri. Liam let you into the pack. I didn’t care at first. Just a rich asshole. But curiosity when you started buying up land got to me. I did a little research. Found out more about your family.” Tate paced now, leaving deep marks in the snow, unbothered by the rapidly falling temperature. “You know, my grandfather worked for your company when he was younger. Had a nice little nest egg set up. Just settled down. My grandmother was pregnant with my dad and shit was going real good for them. Until your grandfather fucked it up.”

  “
Excuse me?” Jake scoffed.

  “Your grandfather spent and spent and spent. On mansions. Yachts. Whatever he wanted. Bled the company dry, didn’t he? History has been re-written but ask the people who had their divisions shut down without any warning and lost their savings in some scheme that they couldn’t untangle themselves from. None of them, including my grandfather, could afford lawyers to go up against your company. My family never recovered from that! We ended up in this shithole, barely scraping by. My grandfather and father died penniless because your company robbed them blind to cover their mistakes!”

  “Are you serious?” Janelle exclaimed, pushing past Jake. “You’re going to kill someone who had nothing to do with what his grandfather did for what, exactly? Vengeance? What is that going to do? What sort of leap in logic are you experiencing where you think any of this is okay?!”

  “I’m done talking. I don’t need to explain myself anymore. You deserve to know the real reason you are going to die. This was personal – too personal to share with anyone else. It was easy to deflect, make them believe I cared about your artifacts and land. But you’re going to die for what your grandfather did.”

  Janelle turned to look at Jake but his expression brought her up short. It was as if he was realizing something for the first time and it soured him.

  “Jake?” She asked.

  “He’s right. About my grandfather. I knew what he did. Dad told me later. But I never once stopped to think about who it affected, what saving the company did to others.”

  “But you don’t deserve to die for that!” Janelle shouted.

  Jake’s head snapped up as a sudden noise caught their attention. She went to look behind her but Jake already shoved her to the ground. She landed in the snow and watched in horror and amazement as Jake shifted into a werewolf.

  The change was instant. One second, he was a man and the next, a creature that seemed otherworldly. At the same time, Tate shifted and lunged. The two beasts crashed into each other, a blend of fur and muscle, teeth and claws.

  Janelle got to her feet, watching in shock. Someone would die if she didn’t stop this. Jake could be seriously injured. But there was no way she could step into that fray.

  It was crazy to her that the actions of Jake’s grandfather led to this moment. Jake wasn’t to blame if his grandfather spent poorly and cost people their jobs. Tate could be angry at Jake’s grandfather but trying to murder him was insane. Riling people up with lies to go after Jake was mental.

  The wind and snow had kicked up so severely that she was having trouble seeing the battle. Was it a blizzard coming through? It felt like some sort of storm rolling in out of the blue. Just their luck.

  Her stomach twisted and she could feel that familiar pull on her body. “Not now…no, not now.” She mumbled but the images flashed –

  Tate spins around, kicking Jake down with his hind legs. His claws rise as he turns to face Jake, who is on the snow-covered ground, struggling to get up. He is going to cut him open, slice him wide, bring vengeance to his family and end this once and for all. Claws glow in the storm. Low visibility. But he can still see Jake. Goes in for the kill –

  Janelle was tossed back into her body. Quickly, she picked up a heavy tree branch that had snapped off and took a deep breath. Timing would be everything here. If she hit Tate too early or he knew she was coming, the vision would come true. That couldn’t happen. Nothing could happen to Jake.

  Her head began to ache but she ignored it. Her whole life, Janelle suffered from headaches. She wasn’t about to let herself be distracted by one now. Gripping the branch, which was so heavy it made her arms tire, she slowly moved towards the battle.

  Then it happened: Tate spun around and kicked Jake to the ground. The full force of the kick seemed to knock the wind out of him. He landed on his back in the snow, his head tilted back, trying to gasp for air. Tate was a bigger wolf and his claws were double the size of Jake’s.

  But he was so focused on Jake that he never heard her coming. Using as much strength as she could, Janelle brought the tree branch down across Tate’s head.

  He wavered on the spot, falling to the snow. The branch slipped from her fingertips, clunking to the ground. She took a step backwards as Jake leapt to his feet and tackled Tate.

  Somehow knowing what was coming, Janelle turned around and shut her eyes. She didn’t want to see. She had seen enough.

  And when the sickening crunch came, she knew it was over.

  In the distance, someone called their names.

  Chapter Ten

  Janelle knocked on the door gingerly, bundled up in so many layers of clothing that she felt like a walking laundromat. A storm had ripped through St. Neuri the night of the attack, leaving people snowed in and places closed for the day.

  Getting here had been a pain in the ass but there was nowhere else she would rather be.

  Millie opened the door, looking a bit surprised at seeing her. “Janelle.”

  “Am I intruding? I wanted to see how Jake was doing.” She said.

  “No, come in. You must be freezing. How long did it take you to get here? The roads are a mess. Are you even supposed to be driving?”

  “No,” She admitted, “But I needed to see him.” She stepped inside.

  The house was warm. Janelle could hear a fire crackling in the living room and a few voices talking in the kitchen. Millie looked relaxed today and fashionable, wearing an oversized lavender sweater and a comfortable pair of pants. It must be from her fashion line, Janelle mused as she studied the clothing. How strange to think that Millie was dating the pack leader.

  “I understand. Can I make you any coffee or anything?”

  “No, thank you. At least not right now. I really want to see him, please.”

  Millie nodded. “He’s just down the hall in the guest bedroom.” She pointed.

  Janelle mumbled another thanks and hurried down the hallway, not stopping to look at anything else. Her only focus was on Jake. Liam had arrived shortly after the fight ended, collecting Jake, who was suffering injuries from the battle, and having his pack spread out and contain the rest of Tate’s pack. He told Janelle that werewolves have accelerated healing and not to worry but that was simply impossible.

  Until she saw him, the worry would gnaw at her.

  Janelle knocked before opening the door and peering inside. It was dark, with a little sun poking through the blinds. Jake was on his back, sleeping. She hesitated for a moment before shutting the door, allowing herself a moment to breathe. Jake was here – alive. The sheets were kicked off him, exposing his chest which was bandaged from where Tate had sliced him in the attack.

  Janelle sat in a chair next to the bed, wanting to reach and touch him but afraid of how she was feeling. So much had happened. So much that there had been no time to discuss the kiss he gave her when things were dangerous.

  Even though she knew there were much bigger things at play, she still couldn’t believe that he kissed her. Janelle worried about his health but her brain kept lingering on that brief kiss and what it could mean. How he could think about her like that when he gave her no indication of it.

  Jake stirred, breaking her thoughts and his eyes opened sleepily before landing on her. Surprised, he sat up slightly, giving no indication he was sore. “Janelle.”

  “Don’t move too much.” She protested. “You’re injured.”

  “What?” He looked down at the bandage and gave a small shake of his head. “All better.”

  “What, already?”

  “Yeah.” Before she could stop him, he yanked the bandage off. His chest was exposed, the wound healed over, leaving a scar down the center of his chest. Janelle’s mouth opened in surprise. Sure, Liam told her werewolves healed quickly. But to see it was another thing completely. “See?” Jake prompted.

  “That’s amazing. Anyone else…I mean, the recovery time for that would have taken ages.”

  “It would have taken ages if it wasn’t for you. I would have d
ied, Janelle.” To her shock, he reached out for her, motioning to get into bed with him.

  Grateful that it was too dark for him to see her blushing, Janelle slipped into the bed, feeling his body’s warmth wash over her. She marveled at how the freezing cold winter must not bother him at all. Meanwhile, she was feeling very unsexy all bundled up.

  “Is it that cold outside?” He mused.

  “Uh, hang on.” She fumbled with her layers, removing her jacket, and her sweater, leaving just her shirt. There was no need to be cold, not with Jake next to her, a human furnace. “Okay, better. It was cold outside but I guess you wouldn’t notice. You probably don’t notice those things anymore, right?”

  He tilted his face to look down at her. Impossible to read his thoughts when it was this dark. She wished that she opened the window or something. But then it wouldn’t be nearly as comfortable, would it?

  “Janelle, I was an asshole.”

  She blinked in surprise; this was not going down the path she expected. “What?”

  “The night you came over and we talked about what you can see and the werewolf packs. Afterwards, I panicked. I shut you out completely and it wasn’t because I wanted to. I just wasn’t ready for someone to see that much of me. I keep to myself and always have. It just seemed easier. Even after I joined Liam’s pack, I had no interest in being one of the members. I only joined to stop my shifting out of the blue. I didn’t want to end up like my grandfather and dad.”

  She didn’t interrupt, afraid he would clam up. Jake kept going, “I played it cool around you. Probably more than cool. Like a glacier. Even though I thought you were beautiful the first moment I saw you, finding out about your abilities unsettled me enough that I just stopped talking to you. I thought maybe if we stopped talking, if I sealed you out, then I could pretend these feelings inside me weren’t growing.”

  “What feelings?” Janelle whispered.